On-chip interconnects connect various components of an integrated circuit. In modern integrated circuit these interconnects usually are used to connect multiple masters (components that are capable of initiating memory transactions) to multiple slaves (components that are capable of responding to memory transactions).
There are various types of interconnects, including ordered split (or non-split) transaction interconnects, blocking and non-blocking interconnects, full fabric and partial fabric interconnects, and the like. An interconnect is also characterized by its latency and throughput.
The designers of modern interconnects are required to tailor the interconnects to different masters and slaves, and to complete the design of the interconnects during short design periods.
These masters and slaves can differ by the nature of the transaction they support. This includes different pipeline depth, burst size, clock frequency, address alignment, wrap-around capability for critical word first, etc.
In addition, a modern interconnect has to operate in high frequencies, to compensate for the delay introduced by relatively long routes, as well as to consume a moderate amount of power.
There is a need to provide an efficient interconnect and a method for designing an interconnect.